Possible first time Princess cruise - questions

[colesc15]

So one of our concerns with princess is.. Is there stuff to do each night that isn't just trivia? My wife and I are both in our 30s so our only concern is being bored at night as we like having stuff to do late into the night? From what I've gathered, the age demographic seems to be older on princess. We love all the activities Royal has on their oasis class and Icon. 

[karatemom2]

8 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

So one of our concerns with princess is.. Is there stuff to do each night that isn't just trivia? My wife and I are both in our 30s so our only concern is being bored at night as we like having stuff to do late into the night? From what I've gathered, the age demographic seems to be older on princess. We love all the activities Royal has on their oasis class and Icon. 

I’m not familiar with the activities RCI offers but my guess is you may find Princess may have a bit less to offer in terms of onboard entertainment in the evenings. There are production shows, comedians, usually a good piano bar, live music and some dancing that may or may not draw a big crowd depending on the demographic of your sailing. There is karaoke and usually some theme parties during the cruise - 70s, 80s, country as examples. They will have some game shows like Marriage Match, Yes/No, etc. and movies on the outdoor screen. It’s not necessarily a big party atmosphere but there are fun things to do. And of course the casino. 

[IndyKid]

36 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

So one of our concerns with princess is.. Is there stuff to do each night that isn't just trivia? My wife and I are both in our 30s so our only concern is being bored at night as we like having stuff to do late into the night? From what I've gathered, the age demographic seems to be older on princess. We love all the activities Royal has on their oasis class and Icon. 

Yes, the age demographic is definitely skewed towards a more mature crowd. Most of the guests on our cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess in December were 50 and up. There were younger couples in your age group but not many, and virtually no children. In this case you might be better off on RCI, or possibly Virgin as they seem to cater to a hipper demographic.

[colesc15]

Just now, IndyKid said:

Yes, the age demographic is definitely skewed towards a more mature crowd. Most of the guests on our cruise aboard the Caribbean Princess in December were 50 and up. There were younger couples in your age group but not many, and virtually no children. In this case you might be better off on RCI, or possibly Virgin as they seem to cater to a hipper demographic.

I'm willing to try it at least once with an open mind 😊 I don't expect to like it more than Royal, but tough to pass up a chance to try a new cruise like in a balcony for potentially 10 days for basically free 😊

[IndyKid]

1 minute ago, colesc15 said:

I'm willing to try it at least once with an open mind 😊 I don't expect to like it more than Royal, but tough to pass up a chance to try a new cruise like in a balcony for potentially 10 days for basically free 😊

Yes, in your case the price is right!

[trbarton]

7 hours ago, colesc15 said:

Hi all, 

Considering hopping on a princess cruise because I received a free balcony on basically any sailing through the Venetian Las Vegas. My wife and I have always done Royal, so this would be completely new to us. 

 

My question:

 

1)If I don't add the "plus" package at the time of booking, can I add it anytime before the cruise leaves, or if I pass on it at booking am I out of luck? 

2) I'm seeing for a 10 day cruise the plus package adds basically $600 per person. From what I've gathered, gratuity is $16 pp per day. That totals $320 of the $1200 I'd be prepaying. If I did things separate, I'm assuming the wifi is about $20 per person per day? Just trying to justify if I'd be better off getting the plus package or doing things seperate if gratuities are for sure, I'd for sure get 1 wifi package Ala cart, and then whatever we decide to drink for alcohol.

 

Any thoughts would be great! We're used to Royal but a free balcony on any ship (before add ons) makes us at least want to try out princess. 

 

One advantage of buying it once on the ship is that the cost will come from any Onboard Credit that you may have. 
 

Tom😀

[lahlah57]

3 minutes ago, IndyKid said:

Yes, in your case the price is right!

Shoot....literally free!? That could tempt me to even sail on carnival. Now I need to rinse my mouth out with some vodka after that comment 😖

[trbarton]

4 hours ago, colesc15 said:

Thanks for the breakdown! Maybe a silly question, but what is "premium desserts"? Basically fancier desserts in the main dining room or? And what is meant by "2 casual dining meals"? Thanks! So much new terminology after only knowing Royal. 

Here’s the Premium dessert that I got at the Ice Cream station a few time & I enjoyed it as it was something fun & different. It’s not offered at dinner.  This is only at the ice cream station. 

 

Tom😀
 

 

[colesc15]

11 minutes ago, lahlah57 said:

Shoot....literally free!? That could tempt me to even sail on carnival. Now I need to rinse my mouth out with some vodka after that comment 😖

Lol oddly enough, we got a free casino offer from carnival as well that we're trying out late this summer on Carnival Mardi Gras. Never been but have heard some good things on their new ships! 

[lahlah57]

5 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

Lol oddly enough, we got a free casino offer from carnival as well that we're trying out late this summer on Carnival Mardi Gras. Never been but have heard some good things on their new ships! 

I must of been on an older ship in june when all of the "sweetie pies" are out for summer break. Oh the nightmares 😫

[Mississippian]

6 hours ago, IndyKid said:

@colesc15, my wife and I were in the same boat as you, we had only sailed with RCI before trying Princess. We enjoyed it immensely, and RCI doesn't offer a package that bundles everything together that we want (wifi, gratuities, drinks) so it was a no-brainer. We won't be going back to RCI, especially on their huge, floating amusement parks. From now on we're sticking with the Sea Witch...

I took two NCL transatlantics last year and wanted to take the waterslides, but it was just too cold. But my preference is that there would be no waterslide at all.

[BamaVol]

11 hours ago, colesc15 said:

So one of our concerns with princess is.. Is there stuff to do each night that isn't just trivia? My wife and I are both in our 30s so our only concern is being bored at night as we like having stuff to do late into the night? From what I've gathered, the age demographic seems to be older on princess. We love all the activities Royal has on their oasis class and Icon. 

You will feel younger than ever on a Princess cruise. If you enjoy music, the bars and piazza will feature some excellent musicians that you can listen or dance to with a drink in your hand. None of the ships is equipped with carnival rides or amusement park features. Daytime activities may include games and classes (i.e. tai chi, Zumba).  The crowds will thin early and there will be limited venues open and occupied after 10 pm. After cruising with RC and Norwegian, we appreciate the laid back Princess vibe. You may or may not. 

[Lady Arwen]

16 hours ago, reedprincess said:

Nope, not like Royal.

On Princess, same price in advance as aboard, for virtually everything, including spa treatments (although there are "specials" aboard for spa)

Plus Cruise Package is $60 per night whether in advance or aboard.

 

You may or may not get a few free drinks in the casino, but don't count on it. You won't get 4 automatically like Royal, etc. 

 

Plus Cruise Package is $60usd pp per night:

$16 per person per night for crew appreciation (daily service charge)

$24.99 per night for one device WiFi (one device at a time)

That's $41usd per night for gratuity and WiFi alone, per person. Of course, if you decide to share the WiFi between you, that brings it down a bit..

 

At $60 -41= $19.  That $19 covers drinks including specialty coffees, bottles of water, any booze, etc, plus any room service($5 per order when ordered by room phone).or Ocean Now delivery (one time $14.99 activation without a package), premium desserts, and a portion of it covers the 2 casual dining meals and exercise classes (2 per Plus Cruise Package), plus medallion shipping ($10 without a package).

 

If the math works for you, go for it. Buy aboard if you have any OBC.. you also get a $10 OBC credit buying aboard for the medallion shipping you didn't use in advance.. 

 

 

Perfectly said, thank you.  It’s amazing what you can purchase with that $19.00!  Honestly, I use $15.00 on cappuccinos and lattes.  Add a cocktail or a glass of wine and I’m way ahead.  Of course, YMMV.

[colesc15]

So, we ended up going with the 7 nighter on Sun Princess instead of the 10 night. With as many cruises as we do, I'm all about optimizing pto and the 7 day over mlk day next year saves us 3 days of pto. Plus Sun Princess looks gorgeous from what I've seen. Officially booked it this morning.